Abraham Palmer was featured in the La Jolla Light newspaper last week, along with his daughter and prized ’77 VW van. Check out the story behind the van and its cross country adventures.

The article, “Impulsivity as a Link between Childhood Adversity and Drug Abuse,” was accepted for publication in Development and Psychopathology. Authors include Dr. Abraham Palmer as well as collaborators Assaf Oshri, J.A. Kwon, K.A.S. Wickrama, Steven M. Kogan, L. VanderBroek, and James MacKillop.

Friday, May 26th was Celine’s last day in the Palmer lab. She will start her PhD in Human & Statistical Genetics at Washington University in St. Louis this fall. Good luck & congratulations, Celine!

Dr. Abraham Palmer was recently interviewed by Dr. David Granet on UCSD-TV. They discussed how inhibiting the Glyoxalase 1 (GLO1) enzyme can reduce signs of depression.

The program was titled “A Faster Antidepressant: The Molecular and Cellular Possibilities with Abraham Palmer – Health Matters” Watch now!

This program and other videos are available online on UCSD-TV’s web site at www.ucsd.tv.

Dr. Yu-yu Ren was selected to receive a T32 Fellowship in Biopsychiatry and Neuroscience. The fellowship is a 2-year program that is aimed at training physicians and psychologist in conducting research towards the understanding of the biological underpinnings of mental disorders. Yu-yu’s research will focus on identifying novel gene targets that influence anxiety and depression using a panel of near-isogenic mice. Congratulations, Yu-yu!

Drs. Amanda Barkley-Levenson and Sandra Sanchez-Roige have each received a Young Investigator Travel Award to attend the Genes, Brain and Behavior 2017 meeting of the International Behavioral and Neural Genetics Society (IBANGS) in Madrid, Spain. The meeting took place May 15-18, 2017. Dr. Sanchez-Roige presented a Featured Talk titled ‘The genetics of delay discounting.’ Dr. Barkley-Levenson presented a poster titled ‘Glyoxalase 1 involvement in alcohol drinking and alcohol-motivated behaviors.’

Dr. Oksana Polesskaya was nominated as a 2016-17 STAR Award Recipient in recognition of and appreciation for outstanding service and enduring contribution to the advancement of UCSD Psychiatry’s teaching, research, clinical and public service missions. Congratulations and well deserved, Oksana!

Hannah Wladecki has joined the Palmer Lab. She will be the new lab manager. Hannah was recently working in the Institute for Genomic Medicine Sequencing Core for the past 2.5 years where she prepared sequencing libraries and operated the Illumina sequencers. She has an M.S. in Animal & Poultry Science from Virginia Tech and completed her undergrad at Purdue University. Welcome Hannah!

Members of the Palmer Lab and UCSD Psychiatry Department were among the 15,000+ scientists and supporters that joined the March for Science in downtown San Diego on Saturday April 22nd. The rally was part of an international effort to champion and protect science in government decision making. Read more about the San Diego event here! Read more about science advocacy and other ways to get involved here!

Drs. Abraham Palmer and Sandra Sanchez-Roige presented their research on psychiatric genetics to approximately 40 high school students on Friday April 21st. Many of the students are taking AP Psychology or AP Economics courses. They were visiting the UCSD campus from Sweetwater High School in National City, CA.